Chapters 29 - 32

How's everyone going...this blog's been a bit quiet the last couple of days? Everyone is probably just so busy, I know we are!...hope we are keeping up with our readings, even if we don't post on here...I have to admit sheepishly that I am a *touch* behind...but I will catch up, I promise! Maybe hold me to that...by Sunday I will back on track and caught up. Make sure you ask me and badger me to see if I am!!

Ok, so first interesting bit for me is how much physical emotion was shown in those days - I don't think Jacob had ever met Rachel or Laban, yet he kissed them and wept for meeting them!
Next thing I thought is Jacob turns up and stays a whole month...and by the end of that month it seems he is in love with Rachel. How about that - so love can happen fairly quickly it seems...sometimes we think it needs a lot of time and years of getting to know each other, etc. but for some people well it just seems to be right.

And wow, what a love Jacob must have had for Rachel, to wait 7 years to marry her! That is amazing patience and incredible endurance...he must've really loved her.

Then how awful that Laban deceives him and gives him Leah instead...honesty really is the best policy, really couldn't they just have talked this through without him having to lie to Jacob? I guess its all coming back to bite Jacob - he deceived his father and in turn he is now being deceived! We reap what we sow.

Well at least he didnt' have to wait another 7 years - but only the bridal week, before he was able to have Rachel too (at least that's how I read it?). He did have to work another 7 years after that but I'm pretty sure he got Rachel before the 7 years. So that's 14 years of work for one woman! She must've been pretty amazing.

I do feel a little sorry for Leah, I mean it probably wasn't her fault that her father deceived Jacob in that way. She just wanted to be loved and she thought once she had children she would be, but it seems Jacob still loved Rachel more, even though she was barren.

Then Rachel finally has children - but by her servant - and one of the children she calls Naphtali - "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won" - How sad that it has become a competition and a show of jealousy between two sisters. Guess this is one reason that bigamy or polygamy is never a good option! God knows best, one man, one woman. And then it follows that Leah actually "hires" her *own* husband to sleep with her...strange.

Also what struck me how God open and closed wombs back then...I guess he may still do that today? Grant some people children and others not? I am not sure if it all works the same as it did back then.

What did others think about the goat thing with Laban & Jacob? How strange that the sheep bore speckled/striped goats if they "did their thing" in front of the speckled poplar branches...does this seem strange to everyone else or just me? How does that work? Hmm...maybe have to ask a goat farmer sometime.

Anyway, so once again, now Laban is the one who has been deceived, now he's reaping what he sows. Jacob takes off with his daughters, etc. and Rachel steals Laban's idols. Another example of how the spoken word had such power is how Jacob says But if you find anyone who has your gods, he shall not live" ...you will find out in later chapters that Rachel does end up dying because of what she's done - seems Jacob's word has come to pass. Not sure when that chapter comes. Sorry if I spoiled that for you but I'm sure you all know the story?

It was nice that Laban & Jacob seem to settle their differences before Laban leaves and they set up a pillar as a witness between them and God. How sad that Laban had to kiss his grandchildren and daughters goodbye, maybe never to see them again? yet I guess that's what happened a lot in those days, people moved around and had to leave their families.

Then next Esau comes to meet him - I think Jacob is more than a little scared! Great that in his time of distress, he cries out to God, just like we should be doing in time of need (and even in times of not-so-need!) It was some gift he gave Esau - two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys - that is a BIG gift! Maybe he was trying to show just how much he wanted to come in peace and make amends. I like how it says "I will pacify him with these gifts". :)

And then the next part, where Jacob wrestles with God..or God wrestles with Jacob.that's incredible. Imagine God becoming a man and wrestling with you until daybreak - and in the process your hip is dislocated. And before you stop wrestling with God, you demand him to bless you...I don't understand much of this bit, but there must be some reason for it in there! Anyone have any thoughts on what really happened here? This website has an interesting commentary on this passage http://www.unionchurch.com/archive/100399.html

Anyways, i'm off to bed, sorry for length of this post...I was reading the chapters as I posted my thoughts. Look forward to hearing from everyone else soon!

Chapters 13 - 16

Ok, so I thought it was interesting in Chapter 13 how Abram gave Lot the choice of where to go, when the herdsmen of both starting quarelling. He told Abram that if he chose the left, he'd go right, if he went right, he'd go left. Very noble of Abram. So Lot looks up and sees the best land in the plain of Jordan, and decides to go there. Very selfish of Lot. But Abram takes it in humility and doesn't make a fuss. As it turns out, Lot made quite a foolish decision, because the people of Sodom were very wicked. It kind of makes me think, what is the reason behind the decisions we make? Do we think, ahh, now that looks good, I think that's the way to go, it looks nice and breezy and easy and comfortable. I'll take that. Or do we think, where would God want me to go? What would HE want me to do? Does he want me to take the easy road, the best pasture?? Or if we really sought out His will in our decision-making, would we often have to take the harder road, with more trials along the way, yet more to learn and more growing opportunities.

I think it was great how when Lot got captured, Abram spared no expense in going after him and rescuing him. He just did it and was successful because the Lord was with Him. And when Abram got offered all the spoils and goods by the King of Sodom in exchange for the people, Abram refused. Pretty noble of Abram, he would've been well deserving of the riches.

I like in Chapter 15 how Abram was talking to God and telling Him about his dilemma of being childless and not having an heir, and God brought him out to see the stars in the heave and asked him to number them. You can just imagine Abram looking up and thinking, yeah, as if I could number them! And then God tells him that His seed will be as many as the stars up in that heaven! Wow...mind boggling. That from one child, his generation would end up as many as the stars in the sky. But as mind boggling as it must've been for Abram, he believed in the Lord and God counted it to him for righteousness.

Then in Chapter 16 you see Sarai telling Abram that God hasn't given her any children so they have to do it their own way, Abram was to have a child by Sarai's maid, Hagar. Because of Sarai's unbelief in that God would give her a child, it caused a lot of trouble for Sarai when Hagar did get pregnant, she despised her. Hagar was stuck in the middle and she fled away from Sarai. I like how God still took care of this poor woman, he sent an angel of the Lord to her and told her she would have a son called Ishmael , which means "because the Lord has heard thy affliction". And Hagar calls God the "God who sees". She had confidence that God SAW her in her condition and how destitute she was and that He didn't leave her that way. And if God can take care of Hagar in that way, He can most certainly take care of us.

Hey - how's it all going?

Well seeing noone has posted for 2 days.....I will post something. How is everyone going with their readings? Are you keeping up to it all? How are you Kresto? You would be excused for not completing your 4 chapters I think at this settling time, but its great if you still can! Of course we can always catch up the next day or whatever, as long as we DO catch up. Some nights/mornings I think I could put a chapter or two off til the next day, but I know when I do that (from past experience) I quickly lose my motivation and before I know it I have 16 chapters to catch up on!!

Anyways, just thought I'd check in. I will do a post for the next 8 chapters I think tomorrow morning if nooone has posted their thoughts first. I think the chapters are 13 - 16 and 17 - 20. Look forward to everyone's thoughts! Then tomorrow we will be ready for chapters 21 - 24 ALREADY! Cool that we would have read 24 chapters of Genesis already in about 6 days. :)

By the way, I found 7 comments that you guys had tried to post in the past that needed to be "moderated" - they were on the "dashboard" page. Many of them are yours Kim, no wonder it wouldn't work for you! Also Bec's first comment on the second post. Take time to read them if you want to catch up on a few comments that were missed. I'll try to keep up the comment moderation (if we don't moderate comments, it means anyone in the entire world could comment on our posts before us knowing what they are writing...scary stuff).

Well night all and I hope to catch up with you soon in blogland!! And Kresto...hope you're settling in well, miss you already.

Nina

First 4 chapters - Genesis 1 - 4

Well seeing as noone else has posted yet, I'll just be the first to post my "reflections" on Genesis 1 - 4...just as a side note, it took me all of 6 minutes to read 4 chapters! So we really have no excuse we don't have the time, do we? :)

I just wanted to share what verses spoke to me the most in reading these chapters, a few of my favourites were:

Ch 1:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. -
I just love the picture it puts in your mind of how God created man, you can just imagine God forming the dust into a man and almost feel him breathing His breath into man's soul...

Ch 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
- I think being a wife I love this verse because it makes you realise the purpose for what woman was initially created for - to be a "help meet" to their husbands. Helpmeet in Hebrew is actually the word "Ezer" - ie: I will make him an "Ezer". The Hebrew term "ezer" is actually based on an ancient word "azar." The Strongs Hebrew dictionary translates it as "to surround, i.e. protect or aid:--help, succour.""Succour" means to be the one who gives assistance in a time of great difficulty. So - man was in a time of great difficulty and need someone to come to his assistance NOW! He needed an aid, help, assistance, that couldn't be found in any of the animals God had created. This why God specially created woman for this purpose. Of course not all women will marry, but if they do, and are following God's purpose for their lives, I think they will find much fulfillment in being a "help meet" to their husbands. Its a very special and important job :) Plus I love this saying ""God did not choose a piece of Adam's head, so that woman would be over him; nor did He select a piece from Adam's foot, so that he would step on her. Rather, our loving Creator chose man's rib, so that woman was taken from his side--to be his equal...from under his arm--to be protected by him...and from near his heart--to be loved by him."
Awww, how true :)

One thing I wanted to ask you guys what you thought meant was Genesis 4:23 "And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt." -
I thought I may have missed a verse somewhere or something, but do you think this is saying Lamech killed someone just as Cain murdered his brother? Cause it follows in the next verse If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. But I couldn't find where it said who he killed. I don't know why this is relevant, but its interesting anyway. Thoughts anyone?

Anyways, that's my 2 cents. Look forward to hearing your reflections soon :)

Nina

In the Beginning...

Here we are just getting the blog up and started, to reflect on the journey of reading through the Bible in one-year (or less!!) by faithfully reading 4 chapters a day. We are a group of friends passionate about seeking God and His Will for our lives, and one way to do this is by regularly spending time in God's Word.

We are starting today, at Genesis Chapter 1 - 4. Reading 4 chapters a day will give us plenty of time to reach our goal.

Lets endeavour to pray for each other, that will be faithful to read the Word and pray that God will reveal His will for our lives! I for one am very excited about sharing this journey with you!